"You Could Make A Deal"

Donald Trump's economic plan?  Borrow a lot of money, then screw over your creditors.  Our boy Donnie the Developer knows all about corporate bankruptcy, and believes he can use similar tactics on the American economy.

Trump recently said he'd stimulate growth with debt (he's boastfully called himself the "King of Debt"), then negotiate reduced "haircut" payments to U.S. Treasury bondholders.  "If the economy crashed, you could make a deal," Trump said.

Trump has a lot of experience in defaulting on debt.  When Trump Hotels & Casinos went bankrupt, Trump declared "I don't think it's a failure, it's a success."  Trump's businesses have filed for bankruptcy four times.

But America is not a casino or golf club or office building.  The president doesn't just cut a deal.  Economists roundly panned Trump's "idea" as reckless, naive, and dangerous -- it would spike up interest rates, squash economic growth, and create a lack of confidence.  The U.S. has always paid full face value on our nation's debts.

Trump later "walked back" some of his comments, which is political code for acknowledging he doesn't know what the hell he's talking about.